


Grudge

by fandramatics



Series: 101 Prompts Challenge [24]
Category: Hannibal Lecter Tetralogy - Thomas Harris
Genre: F/M, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:27:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23438443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandramatics/pseuds/fandramatics
Summary: 24. "Finish inside me, I mean it."
Relationships: Hannibal Lecter & Clarice Starling, Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling
Series: 101 Prompts Challenge [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503173
Kudos: 37





	Grudge

She sighed as she turned the page, the feel of the worn leather beneath her fingertips. The ringing stopped her from starting the next page of Goethe’s work. Even the hurried steps of Fernando going to the door didn’t keep her from listening to whoever it was that was at the door.

She recognized the voice, closed her book, and shifted on her seat. She trained her expression before the butler reached her.

“ _ ¿Señora? _ ” he called, “ _ Don Campoblanco está aquí. _ ”

She eyed Fernando, “ _ Gracias, Fernando. Diga a mi marido que tenemos visitas, por favor _ ”

The butler gave her a nod and rushed back to the guest.

Clarice stood, she took a deep breath, then put on a smile as she heard the steps of Campoblanco approaching.

As he came into her sight, she realized he still had a dark patch in his hairline where he had carelessly painted his hair black in an attempt to hide his age. His smile was big, yet it didn’t reach his eyes; unlike hers - that was merely polite, his spoke of affinity they did not share.

“ _ Señora Grayson _ ,” he shook her hand.

“ _ Don Campoblanco _ ”

“Would you mind if we held this conversation in English? I was just on the phone with an American friend and I can’t help but think in his language now,” she ignored the urge to cringe at his accent and held back a smile at the thought of Hannibal’s reaction to it.

“Of course not,” she replied, “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

He shifted on his footing, “In reality, ma’am, I’m here to see your husband,” he said, “Our friend in common, Martina, said that he was a doctor once.”

Her smile grew a bit, “If my husband is any indication to go by, I doubt anyone stops being a doctor. I’m sure he’ll be happy to help.”

Campoblanco opened his mouth, but Fernando joined them, along with Hannibal.

“ _ Un poco de agua, por favor, Fernando _ ,” said the good doctor, exchanging a glance with his wife before shaking hands with his guest. “ _ Don Campoblanco _ ”

“Dr. Grayson”

“Mr. Campoblanco asked us to take the conversation in English, darling,” said Clarice.

“Of course,” nodded the good doctor, “How can I be of help, sir?”

“Martina said you’re a very talented doctor, Mr. Grayson. I’m here for your medical advice.”

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Clarice said, but Campoblanco stopped her.

“Please, ma’am, I’d appreciate if you stayed with us, I don’t want the servants to realize what this is about and if they see me alone with the doctor, they’ll know. We have no business together, nor are we friends, which could only mean…”

“Of course…” answered the brunette, “Well, then, let’s all have a seat.”

They did. Campoblanco sighed before he faced the doctor. Clarice realized her guest’s hands shook a bit.

“I believe I’m dying, sir,” he declared.

Fernando came and laid cups at the center table, then left.

“Why would you say that?” asked Clarice.

“At first I believed it to be a bad flu, but the headaches wouldn’t go away, then I started getting nauseous… My heart started failing me… I went to the hospital twice because of it. My wife doesn’t know it, I wasn’t at home when it happened.”

“When did it happened?”

“A couple of days ago, Zo-- A friend of mine took me to the hospital,” he licked his dry lips.

“What did the doctors say?” prompted Clarice.

“Nothing, I didn’t let them run tests, they would have called my wife, if they found something and I… I--”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Campoblanco, are you having an affair?”

The man swallowed, he eyed the woman for a long while before he nodded, “I was with my Zoe when it happened.”

The Count and the Countess exchanged glances, the good doctor then eyed his guest, “Have you experienced a loss of consciousness? Perhaps difficulty breathing?”

Campoblanco blinked a few times, “Sometimes, yes.”

“Tell me, sir, have you been eating almonds recently?”

The man paused, “I’m not allergic to them, and no, all I’ve eaten of the kind lately was the  _ Torta Negra Galesa _ my wife made me. It has almonds in it.”

“How long have you been feeling like this?” asked Clarice.

“Weeks, why?”

“How long have you been having an affair?” prompted Hannibal.

“About a month. Where is this going?”

The Countess eyed her husband, “You’re being poisoned, Mr. Campoblanco.”

“What?”

“You’ve described to us the symptoms of cyanide poisoning,” Lecter said.

The man shifted on his seat. “That’s not possible, cyanide is a book thing, people don’t just sell it.”

“You can find it in nature,” said Hannibal, “Apple seeds, it would take a big amount of them, but it could be done.”

“Are you saying that the almonds in my  _ Torta Negra… _ ?” he tried.

“It isn’t almonds,” Clarice said, “Your wife has been poisoning you. Probably because of the affair.”

The way the man’s face fell and twisted gave the Countess some satisfaction, he had only come to them because he wanted discretion and Martina liked them very much. Campoblanco had joined their social circle around the same time as they did, it wasn’t a secret that he wasn’t happy with the attention the Graysons got while he and his wife merely tagged along with the group. 

It had reached Clarice’s ears the comments Mr. Campoblanco made about her relationship with Hannibal, saying she thought too much of herself to get pregnant and ensure the fortune, that she would just kill the good doctor instead. That night, Clarice’s nails dug especially deep in Lecter’s flesh and, as they screwed in the table at the balcony, she whispered into his ear: “Finish inside me. I mean it.”. They didn’t intend to have children, but she needed it that night. Clarice got an IUD weeks after.

“Is there a cure for it?” Campoblanco questioned.

“You’ll need to go to a hospital or a laboratory, they’ll need to know just how much of it you consumed before they treat it,” Lecter said.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose, then sighed. He glanced over to the couple. “I’m very sorry, my friends. I’ve misjudged you, anyone with a grudge could have just told me to go see a doctor or make it all public. I’m truly sorry,” he rose from his seat, “I’ll talk to a friend of mine who works in a laboratory. Thank you for having me in your house.”

The Lecters rose, they all shook hands.

“No one will hear about it from us,” assured Hannibal.

“Thank you, doctor,” he smiled at Clarice then, “Ma’am. I’ll see myself out.”

He did, he left before Fernando could even see him out.

“What do you think will be of the wife?” Clarice asked.

“Not much, I believe. With the amount of discretion he has been asking for, I doubt there’ll even be a divorce.”

“They’ll kill one another.”

“In time, yes.”

“For now, he’ll be an anxious pup around us.”

Hannibal eyed his wife, “Holding a grudge, my dear?”

“His marriage may be in shreds, mine is not and he shouldn’t be speaking ill about it,” she said.

“I know something better than cyanide,” he smirked at her, “Or we could ask him over for dinner?”

“I think I’d rather dine with his wife, she seems to deserve an interesting meal. She has always been the best one of the two of them.”

“That could be arranged, I’m certain.”

Clarice smiled at her husband, “I’ll think about it. Come, join me for a bath.”

He took the hand she offered and followed her upstairs.


End file.
